Farhan Akhtar recalls Akshaye Khanna slapped Aamir Khan 17 times during Dil Chahta Hai shoot: ‘His face was swollen’

Aamir Khan and Farhan Akhtar recalled the memorable Dil Chahta Hai scene where Akshaye Khanna slapped Aamir 17 times.

Farhan Akhtar's directorial Dil Chahta Hai recently completed 25 years, and the film's cast and director came together to recall their time shooting the cult classic. In a recent interaction, Aamir Khan and Farhan Akhtar recalled shooting a crucial scene in the film in which Akshaye Khanna slapped Aamir almost 17 times.

Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna in Dil Chahta Hai

Akshaye Khanna slapped Aamir 17 times

During an interaction with Yuvaa, Aamir Khan recalled the scene in which Akshaye Khanna had to slap him 17 times. Saif Ali Khan, however, couldn't believe it and asked Aamir if it was a real slap.

The film's director, Farhan Akhtar, quickly jumped in and revealed that Aamir himself had asked Akshaye to slap him hard. Farhan recalled, "Yes, it was. I told Aamir that he is really going to slap you, and Aamir said cool. But I told Akshaye that he's expecting it at the end of this line, so do it while he is saying the line - that way there's an element of surprise. It's filmmaking, it happens sometimes. That happened. Then Aamir said, let it happen because it's bringing me into a frame of mind which is helping me. He kept insisting on being slapped again and again."

Farhan Akhtar shared that the slaps were so hard that Aamir's face had swollen by the time they got the right shot. He said, "By the time we finished, I remember he had a full mark on his face. It was almost swollen on one side." Aamir Khan, however, shared that it was important for Akshaye to slap him for real as it worked well for the scene.

Suchitra Pillai on slapping Saif Ali Khan

This wasn't the only slap incident on the sets of Dil Chahta Hai. Actor and model Suchitra Pillai, who played Saif Ali Khan's onscreen girlfriend in the film, also shared her experience of slapping Saif for real during their scene.

Suchitra recalled asking Farhan how she could slap Saif Ali Khan for real, as she wanted to hold back. However, Farhan directed her to 'go ahead and slap him'. She revealed that she eventually slapped Saif thrice.

About Dil Chahta Hai

Released in 2001, Dil Chahta Hai was one of the films that changed the way Bollywood portrayed modern urban life, friendships and relationships. The film followed three college friends, played by Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna, as they navigated adulthood, relationships and their different paths in life.

The film was written and directed by Farhan Akhtar in his directorial debut. It also starred Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia in pivotal roles.